Alleged Kinect Xbox 720 (Next) specs leak

All attention may be focused on Sony's Playstation 4 console which is likely to make its debut today. However, these alleged Kinect 2.0 specs are probably worth checking out.

According to VGLeaks (via GameIndustry.biz), there will be a significant improvement in resolution from both the color and depth cameras with the introduction of a third sensor - which allows the new Kinect bundled with the 720 to access the infrared spectrum. In turn, this will help the Next bolster its performance in low-light scenarios.

"The active IR stream is stable across variable lighting conditions," claims the leaked document. "For example, shadows, pixel intensities and noise characteristics are the same for a well-lit room, the same as for no light in the room. As a result, this stream could be used for feature detection in situations where a color stream would be useless."

As expected, the Kinect interface is also moving from the USB 2.0 interface to USB 3.0, with end-to-end latency measurements dropping from 90ms down to 60ms.

Meanwhile, the 640x480 RGB camera is supposedly upgraded to 1080p (with a move from 24-bit RGB colour to a more manageable 16-bit YUV set-up), while depth resolution increases from 320x240 to 512x424. This all translates into less calibration for the user, as the system will likely work around furniture.

Interestingly, significant OS resources are apparently allocated to facilitate the running of multiple and simultaneous Kinect applications. And last, but certainly not least, skeletal tracking has improved significantly, as individuals now remain tracked if they are in profile with the camera.

As previously discussed on TG, Kinect 2.0 supports up to six players with a wider field of view, while standing and seated gameplay is properly implemented. Unfortunately, individual fingers still can't be tracked, although the new Kinect is capable of discerning the difference between open and closed hands.